# transfer

/ˈtɹænsfɝ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/transfer
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to move something

verb · CEFR B1

to move someone or something from one place to another.

For teachers: to convey or shift an object, person, or data from one location or context to another. Transitive in this sense.

- I need to transfer my photos from my phone to my computer.
- The IT department will transfer all legacy data to the new cloud server over the weekend to ensure a seamless transition for the staff.

### 2. to change jobs or schools

verb · CEFR B1

to move to a different department, office, or school.

For teachers: to relocate professionally or academically to a different branch, department, or institution.

- She decided to transfer to the London office to be closer to her family.
- After completing his sophomore year, the student opted to transfer to a university with a more robust research programme in molecular biology.

### 3. to hand over control

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to officially give money, property, or power to someone else.

For teachers: to legally or formally assign ownership, rights, or responsibility to another party.

- He transferred the money to his sister's bank account yesterday.
- The deed of the property was officially transferred to the trust following the finalisation of the probate proceedings.

### 4. the act of moving

noun · CEFR B1

the act of moving something or someone to a new place.

For teachers: the process or instance of conveying something from one person, place, or situation to another.

- The bank charges a small fee for every international wire transfer.
- The patient's transfer to the intensive care unit was handled with extreme caution due to his unstable respiratory condition.

### 5. sports player move

noun · CEFR B2

a professional player who moves from one team to another.

For teachers: the relocation of a professional athlete between clubs, often involving a contractual buyout or fee.

- The team's new transfer scored a goal in his very first game.
- The club broke its previous spending record to secure the transfer of the young striker before the summer window closed.

### 6. transport connection

noun · CEFR B1

a ticket or a place where you change from one bus or train to another.

For teachers: an instance of changing between public transport vehicles, or the document permitting such a change.

- We have a two-hour transfer in Chicago before our flight to New York.
- The city's integrated transit system allows passengers to use a single transfer for both the subway and the bus network within a ninety-minute window.

## Examples

- The bank charges a small fee for every wire transfer.
- The football club confirmed the record-breaking transfer of their star striker to a rival team this morning.
- Legal experts argued that the transfer of property rights was invalid because the original contract lacked a clear signature from the primary executor.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.
